November 21, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Diplomacy: Yemen Times: Last week, the former US ambassador to Yemen Edmund Hull said in al-Jazeera TV that he was monitoring the operation in the field in coordination with the Yemeni authorities

Last week, the former US ambassador to Yemen Edmund Hull said in al-Jazeera TV that he was monitoring the operation in the field in coordination with the Yemeni authorities

This shows how these officials respect their people and their right to know. Even the Jordanian regime behaved in a very professional way during the latest terrorist attacks in Amman. Just some minutes after the incident, a government official went to brief the media and the other day we saw the second suicide bomber talking on camera. This never takes place with our regime which does everything underground. It lies to and deceives its people without being held accountable. But, I think this behavior makes it lose the respect and trust of the international community too. Ambassador Edmund Hull served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia.

The latest visit of president Ali Abdullah Saleh to Japan, US and France has shown the real problem of the people in charge of the media policy in the country. It also showed the totalitarian mentality that still controls these people who do not respect the public and their right to know or be informed.

The crew of the Yemeni Satellite TV covered the visit and meetings of Saleh in the three countries in a very disgusting manner, focusing only on protocol meetings without any real informing substance that can be of interest to the viewers. The TV just broadcasted pictures and nonsense reports on the way Saleh was received, lunch meetings, and other general phrases like (bilateral relationship, counterterrorism, the situation in Iraq, Palestine, Somalia…etc) which all Yemeni memorize by heart. Even when Presidents Bush and Saleh were briefing the journalists after their meetings, the Yemeni TV did broadcast the pictures and the voice of the reporter who was describing how the media showed interest in the visit of Saleh to the US which is, in fact, untrue.

The visit of Saleh and his meetings he had in these countries, especially the US are important to us as Yemeni citizens. The Yemeni public that was told the visit meant to voice its concerns to the leaders of these countries has the right to know what issues were discussed and the results.

The state-run media described the visit as “successful” but without telling us how. The right to know is a constitutional right which the regime should respect and maintain. The regime should not camouflage and deceive its people about the real issues that have been discussed as this is a totalitarian practice , demonstrating the lack of transparency on the part of the regime.

I think you all remember the attack against the al-Qaeda leader Abu Ali al-Harithi by a US plane in the desert of Marib in 2003. After the operation, the Yemeni authorities said it was a car explosion, but later the US announced the CIA was behind the attack. Last week, the former US ambassador to Yemen Edmund Hull said in al-Jazeera TV that he was monitoring the operation in the field in coordination with the Yemeni authorities. This shows how these officials respect their people and their right to know. Even the Jordanian regime behaved in a very professional way during the latest terrorist attacks in Amman. Just some minutes after the incident, a government official went to brief the media and the other day we saw the second suicide bomber talking on camera. This never takes place with our regime which does everything underground. It lies to and deceives its people without being held accountable. But, I think this behavior makes it lose the respect and trust of the international community too.

The meeting Saleh had with the cabinet members and leaders of the ruling party last Thursday showed that the man came back with a lot of concerns about the situation which, of course, must have been voiced by the officials in the three countries. These are the questions of arms smuggling, security, al-Qaeda prisoners and their fight in Iraq, al-Zindani, corruption and freedom degradation, journalists repression ..etc. Some of these issues the US embassy charge’d affair Nabeel Khory said before Saleh’s arrival to the White House were the main issues to be discussed with Saleh.

By and large, I believe it is very important for the media policy makers take the public anger to the media coverage to the latest visit of the president an opportunity to review their policy and know that camouflage or cover-up is no more useful and that the information they hide here comes from Washington or anywhere else in the world. They should live up to the digital moment and realize that transparency is a healthy sign of good governance and democratic regime, will they?

When this story was posted in November 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

PC establishes awards for top VolunteersGaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9.

Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in dangerWhen the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 yearsCongratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now.

'Celebration of Service' a major successThe Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here.

PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident"The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted.

The Peace Corps LibraryPeace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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Story Source: Yemen Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Tunisia; Diplomacy

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